The Ring
by OrionM42
Summary: An unexpected package is left for Jo. Takes place sometime after episode 4.19 "This One Time, At Space Camp"  Rated M just in case, for some strong language and a hint of adult themes.


Jo sat at her desk, her head tilted against the back of her chair, her eyes closed. The day hadn't even really begun, but she knew it was going to be a long one. The first set of cargo was being sent to Titan today and it was her team's job to make sure the inventory list was complete and fully accounted for, on top of keeping the cargo itself secure. It was a long list. Six months on Titan, for twenty people, was not a minor packing job. And then there were the items that the Astreaus team were leaving behind. All of their personal belongings that they didn't want to risk bringing to Titan had to be put in storage and kept secure as well. She inhaled deeply and let it go slowly, sitting upright in her chair. _Might as well get this day started._

It wasn't that the work was particularly difficult, or even very mentally taxing, but it was a step closer to Titan. It was a step closer to saying goodbye. And that was what she really didn't want to face. He'd stayed in Eureka for Titan. He'd stayed for the opportunity of a lifetime, and to live out his dream. But once he came back…

And she hadn't given him much reason to stay. She'd been trying so hard to keep herself from getting hurt again that when she finally realized she was tired of fighting against herself, it was too late. _I really suck at this._ He was free to go wherever he wanted, and she loved him too much to try to stop him. She'd resolved to continue to support him, though, and be proud of him. _And I am, too. _He'd proven to everyone how capable and hard-working he was. He'd proven that he couldn't be judged by his past. _And it took me too fucking long to see it for myself._

A knock at her door broke her out of her thoughts.

"Yes," she called. "Come in."

Her security team lead stepped through the door, stopping just inside her office.

"Chief, the inventories are all complete. The director asked you to review them before the test this afternoon. We're briefing in Mission Control at 14:30."

Jo nodded, having already known all of this, but glad her team was so on top of things. "Thank you, Matthews. Set everyone at their posts."

"Ma'am," he said as he nodded his acknowledgement and left, shutting the door behind him.

Jo opened her laptop and pulled up the completed inventory lists from the server. She poured herself into the review, grateful for the tedium that distracted her from her thoughts.

Four hours later, including a few day-to-day distractions here and there, she was nearing the end of her work. She'd put off the storage items list for last, and had skipped over Zane's file, hoping to avoid imagining his things already packed and ready to go. But she couldn't avoid it any longer.

Each person's file held a simple inventory of their belongings, a container number that they were stored in, and a storage location code for where that container was to be stored. She just had to go through the list and make sure there were no conflicts or issues, like containers without a location assigned to it. It was a formality, really, but the security of these items rested fully on her. And she knew how precious one's personal belongings could be.

She scanned over Zane's list. It was much the same as the others'. People like Grace had shorter lists, as they just left most of their things at home with their spouses. But Zane had packed up his entire apartment. She went over his furniture, his motorcycle, his extra clothes and toiletries that weren't already packed for Titan. His books, linens, kitchen supplies, electronics, his drum set. Some of it was GD property and, if he decided to leave, he'd have to leave that stuff behind. But the entirety of his material existence was packed away. It would take him mere hours to leave Eureka, if he chose to. She pressed her lips together firmly and shook her head. _He's earned the right to go. I should be happy for him._

She felt relieved as she neared the end of his list, so much so that she'd already readied her hand to close her laptop the second she was done, but then her breath caught as she read the very last item.

GRANDMOTHER'S RING. CONTAINER C126. UNIT S.A.R.A.H.

She stared at the screen, unable to think, her mind simply flooding with images of the ring and everything that had happened since she'd first seen it. Which is why it took her nearly a minute to realize that the storage unit wasn't a set of letters and numbers. _SARAH? What's going on?_

She entered in a search for that container number, wondering what else had been sent to SARAH, but the search only came up with the one item.

A single container, with only a single ring, _that ring_, and it had been sent to her house. Well, not exactly her house, but still…

She picked up her phone and dialed Matthews, trying to keep her breath steady and her voice even.

"Officer Matthews."

"Matthews, I've completed my review, but there is one discrepancy. A single container was sent to the Sheriff's house, instead of a storage unit."

"Ah, yes. Mr. Donovan specifically requested one container be sent there. He said it belonged to you, Ma'am."

"Did he tell you what was in it?" she asked, hoping her voice sounded uninterested.

"No, Ma'am. I figured it wasn't any of my business. Why, is it not listed in the inventory?"

"No, no, it is," she said quickly. "Thank you for your discretion. That will be all."

He grunted an affirmative and she hung up, sinking into her chair and staring back at the screen again. _It belonged to me? But what did that mean?_ She didn't have time to think about it, as another knock on her door interrupted her. She closed the laptop quickly and took a deep breath before answering. "Come in."

It was Carter. She smiled, though it felt strained.

"Hey Jo, you busy?"

"No Carter, come in."

She watched him enter and quickly noticed he was carrying a small GD container. Her heart sped up. She knew without asking what it was.

He placed the box on her desk and looked at her curiously. "This came to the house today. Some of your security guys dropped it off, saying that you were supposed to keep it safe. I thought I should bring it to you."

She swallowed. "Thanks." Her voice broke, and Carter knew her too well to know that something was wrong.

"Do you know what it is?" he asked.

She nodded slowly, but opened the container anyway, pulling out the small velvet box and laying it gently in front of her. _Why is it always the small things that seem so scary?_

Carter whistled softly. "Safe keeping, huh?"

She looked up at him. "I don't understand, Carter. Matthews said the container belonged to me. Why would Zane give it back?"

He just shrugged. "Maybe you should ask him…" He smiled at her, but she just felt sick.

"I don't know.." she started, but Carter interrupted her.

"Jo. The last time you saw that box, you hesitated." He came around next to her and sat on his heels, so he could look her in the eyes. She swallowed again. "You regretted it ever since. Maybe you should say something, anything, this time."

She closed her eyes. She could feel a headache coming on. "What if he doesn't like what I have to say?" Her voice was small and scared and she hated it.

"Does it matter?"

She opened her eyes and looked at him. He smiled even bigger and he squeezed her shoulder before standing up again. "Zane is leaving for six months, and while it's not combat, knowing him, he'll find a way to make it dangerous. You should talk to him before he goes, for your own sake. I have a feeling he wants to talk, too."

She leaned her head back once more. "Are we having girl-talk again?"

He laughed. "Someone's gotta do it, I guess."

She smirked at him. "Thanks Carter. I'll…I'll go find him after I brief Fargo."

He grinned at her. "That's my girl." She rolled her eyes at him and watched him leave, chuckling to himself. _Honestly, it's like I have four brothers._

She straightened up her already neat desk, pulled her hair out of its sleek ponytail, only to put it back again and sighed, looking back at the little box on her desk. _Oh just grow a pair and stop stalling!_ She pulled the small chain out of the top drawer of her desk and opened the box. The ring was as gorgeous as ever and she allowed herself a small smile as she pulled it out of the little velvet box and slipped it onto her finger. She stared at it, longingly. It fit perfectly, and felt perfect, and she wanted nothing more than to just keep it there, pretending he'd proclaimed his love and forgiven her for being such an indecisive ass. She nearly yelped aloud when her door opened suddenly and there he was, looking uncomfortable.

She quickly hid her hands behind her back, trying to pull the ring off of her finger and hide it discreetly. But then she watched his eyes move to the velvet box on her desk and her face flushed.

"I saw Carter in the hall," he said, his eyes moving from the box to her. "He said you needed to see me."

_Damn it Carter. _"Ah yes. Um. Sit down, please." She gestured to the chair opposite her desk, and sat down herself, her legs feeling wobbly. _Just say something to him. Anything._ He was staring at her expectantly, waiting.

She pulled her hands up from underneath her desk, where he could see them. In her panic, she'd been unable to remove the ring, but now she carefully slipped it off of her finger and put it back in the box. She heard him sigh and she just couldn't stop the question from coming out.

"Why did you give this back to me?"

He crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't know, you gonna throw it back at me, again?" His voice was rough, but he hadn't answered her question. She sighed. She didn't want to fight with him.

"Zane," she said quietly. "I'm just curious. My guys said you told them it belonged to me, and they told Carter I was supposed to keep it safe. Why didn't you just put it into storage with the rest of your things?"

He kept his head down, but his eyes looked up at her, shielded by his dark eyebrows. "You really want to know?"

"Yes!" she said, exasperated. She pulled out the ring again and held it up in front of her. "This ring is the reason I lost you in the first place. I threw it back at you because I was sure I'd lost you for good, and I couldn't stand to be reminded of it. But now it's here again, and I want to know why." She inhaled deeply and looked him straight in the eye. "I don't want to lose you again."

His eyes were wide now, his expression changed from dark and sullen to something else entirely. He reached across the desk and grabbed her hands, the ring pressed in between them. "Jo, I'm not going anywhere."

She laughed a bit, and he smiled. "I mean, I'm going to Titan, but…" He trailed off and opened his hands, taking the ring gently from her. He toyed with it for a second before placing it back into her palm and closing her hand over it.

"I gave it back to you because I was selfish," he said finally. He shifted in his chair. "I thought…well, I hoped, that you'd want it. Maybe… maybe wear it while I was gone."

It was her turn for her eyes to widen and he must have seen it because he quickly continued. "I'm not proposing! I…I meant around your neck, you know, like before. Fuck, I'm awful at this."

He sighed heavily and looked at her frankly, all traces of anger and resentment gone. He looked tired. "Jo, I don't know what you want. Some days I don't know if you love me or hate me. And some days I don't know exactly what I want either. But when I look at that ring…and I look at it a lot…I just can't imagine myself giving it to anyone but you. Not…not right now. But it belongs to you. I just know it does."

Her heart felt like it was trying to beat right out of her chest, or maybe up into her throat. She opened her hand and lifted the tiny ring from her palm, threading it on the chain as she had meant to do before he had surprised her by walking through her door. She clasped the chain around her neck, feeling the familiar, cool weight rest against her chest, and she looked at him, smiling.

"I will wear it while you're gone," she started, and his face broke into a smile. "But when you get back, you're taking it back. And you're not giving it back to me again until you're ready to see it on my hand."

He nodded. "That's fair." His grin turned cocky. "Just don't get any ideas about throwing it back at me."

She laughed. "Only if you deserve it." She stood up and he responded in kind, and she walked close to him, reaching her hands for his face. "But please don't give it to me unless it's what you really want. You've earned the right to leave. You deserve to go anywhere, and be with anyone, and I won't hold you back if it's what you want."

He kissed her roughly, driving the air from both of them. She lost herself in his lips before he pulled away slightly, his face still so close to hers that she could feel his breath on her lips. "Woman, I'll do whatever I damned well please. You couldn't stop me if you wanted to." He pulled her tighter to him and she felt her body respond as it usually did. "And right now I want to say goodbye to you so thoroughly that you'll be in despair every day until my return."

She laughed throatily, "We'll see who's in despair." And she pulled his mouth to hers, her hands running from his hair down his neck and back and onto his perfect ass before moving to pull his shirt over his head.

She felt his hands working over her blouse buttons and she moved to help him, feeling goose bumps emerge as the cool air touched her skin. He pulled back a moment, staring at the ring lying between her breasts. "Much better than in the box," he whispered, and then he was teasing the bra off of her and she lost herself in the pleasure of saying goodbye to Zane, all the better for knowing there would be a hello again.

**I had started this as a way for them to finally admit their feelings for each other, but it ended as sort of an in-between, kinda-sorta admission. But now Zane knows Jo doesn't want to lose him. And Jo knows that Zane doesn't plan on leaving. I figure that's good enough to let them move forward, for now.**


End file.
